Preactor International: Strong 2009 growth; WorkPlan deal

Preactor showed 11% net revenue increase in 2009 compared to 2008, avoiding the downward trend for Manufacturing IT as manufacturers continue to invest in production planning and scheduling solutions. Separately the company announced integration of Preactor advanced planning and scheduling (APS) software with the Sescoi WorkPlan Enterprise ERP system.

11/05/2009

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Preactor International, a specialist planning and scheduling software company, has announced a continuation of its sustained growth with strong sales figures in 2009.

Preactor CEO Mike Novels commented on the financial results: "We were expecting some slowdown in the demand for our software and services but in fact the opposite has been the case. Those companies that can invest are looking to focus on specific pain points that will help them be more efficient and more competitive and Preactor has benefited from this."

Gregory Quinn, VP of North America adds: "The surge in demand for Preactor since the downturn has been an indication that North American companies looking to be market leaders know that they cannot simply lay back and hope for the best. 2008 was a very good year for Preactor software in this market, and 2009 continues the trend. Comparing 2Q09 license sales with same period last year before the economic downturn, Preactor license sales are up 32%, and activity continues to be strong."

A recent report by Gartner suggested that global spending on IT would decline by 6% in 2009 but within this software would declined by only 1.6%. Other independent surveys have shown Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) to be a key element of many manufacturing companies in becoming more agile, more responsive, and more efficient in dealing with sudden variations in demand. In a downturn market these companies use tools like APS to take advantage and increase their market share.

Preactor works well with and enables legacy software such as ERP, MES and other enterprise applications helping to connect the back office with production. Better integration avoids a "rip and replace" mentality with its associated high purchase cost and considerable disruption to the business. In many situations, the company said, the software helps existing IT investments to deliver better performance and a better return. Sectors that are particularly strong include consumer packaged goods, food & beverage, packaging and complex high-tech equipment.

Novels continues, saying that more IT companies are "working with us to combine the strengths of their product with that of Preactor. We continue to look for opportunities to grow in this way and strengthen our relationship with other companies who have similar markets to ours. It makes sense for them and it makes sense for us."

Preactor 2009 User Group is Nov 17.

This was confirmed by record attendance by Preactor partners at this year's annual International partner meeting where more than 100 people coming from 29 countries gathered to build on their success.

Valerie Goulevitch is director of marketing, said that feedback from partners was "very encouraging. Many of the emerging markets such as China, Brazil and India are already out of recession and growing again. Even those markets that have been hit hardest in the credit crunch are seeing more projects available, especially multi-nationals with plants located around the world where our global reach gives them the confidence of locally available support."

Preactor International software is frequently integrated with ERP, MES and Supply Chain Management solutions, Preactor's breakthrough technology is used by more than 2,500 small, medium and large multinational companies located in 65 countries.

Integration of advanced planning and scheduling with Sescoi WorkPlan Enterprise ERP system

In a recent integration example, Sescoi, author of the established WorkPlan Enterprise ERP system announced in October that it will work with Preactor in a number of international markets in Northern Europe, Asia and the Americas. The two systems have been fully and seamlessly interfaced to deliver the combined benefits of Sescoi's WorkPlan Enterprise ERP system, designed for project based, custom manufacturers, with Preactor's proven advanced planning and scheduling (APS) software, the companies said.

More than 2,500 companies around the world are using Preactor to schedule and plan their production processes. The scheduling package has been designed to interface with ERP systems, complementing rather than duplicating their capabilities.

Preactor 400 APS models the shop floor and its resources in detail, and the scheduling process is initiated by order transactions received from the WorkPlan Enterprise scheduler model. Operations can be linked and overlapped to reflect real shop floor activity, with Gantt chart displays showing the overall picture of demand, capacity, resource usage and completion time. This enables companies to optimize the use of their resources and forecast realistic and achievable delivery dates in the dynamic environment of the shop floor.

WorkPlan Enterprise's bi-directional data exchange with Preactor enables the system to plan the delivery and execution of new projects, update management reports live, and provide snapshots of key performance indicators. Analysis of CAD data by WorkPlan Enterprise and the use of historic information make it possible to produce highly accurate quotations, while other functions of the software control sales, inventory, purchasing, subcontracting, quality, time and attendance, after sales, and links to accounting packages. Visibility for projects is greatly increased, ensuring that profit margins and customer satisfaction are maximized while administrative effort is minimized.

By combining both systems, companies will be able to gain full control of their entire manufacturing processes, winning more profitable business, optimizing the efficiency and utilization of machinery and delivering high quality parts on time.

Bruno Marko, president and founder of Sescoi said, "Establishing a partnership with Preactor enables us to offer our international users advanced scheduling and planning capabilities inside WorkPLAN Enterprise. Efficient management of a business and its resources requires easily accessible and accurate information. Both Preactor and WorkPlan Enterprise have been designed with ease of use in mind, enabling companies to implement the systems extremely quickly and achieve a return on investment measured in weeks."

Novels expressed pride in working with the Sescoi team, saying, "We are very similar companies with very similar global coverage and markets."

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